DRINKING WATER
Is Monitoring Of Total Or Free Chlorine A Better Option For Dechlorination Control?
Accurate dechlorination control requires monitoring all residual oxidants that threaten membrane integrity. Total chlorine analysis provides the necessary precision at ultra-low levels, ensuring comprehensive protection against oxidative damage while maintaining reagent stability during intermittent system operations.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![Direct Burial Meters Offer Significant Savings]( "Direct Burial Meters Offer Significant Savings")
Direct Burial Meters Offer Significant SavingsMost pipelines are below grade, so vaults have traditionally been installed to provide access to any place where a meter and valve are necessary. Vault pits tend to be large, and the installation is by far the biggest expense of a metering project. The good news is that direct burial metering options can greatly simplify the installation requirements, significantly lowering the costs, while also boosting safety.
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![GettyImages-182174995_450_300]( "How To Stop Water Loss And Secure Your Network")
How To Stop Water Loss And Secure Your NetworkKROHNE’s PipePatrol uses advanced pressure wave analysis to detect and locate leaks in real time, helping water utilities reduce non-revenue water and improve network efficiency.
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Onsite Wastewater Treatment Technologies To Be Considered For Large And Small Projects
There is a greater need to raise awareness for better sanitation, water reuse, and storm water solutions with better simple, low-cost, robust technology.
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![gettyimages-1214284146-170667a]( "Managing Drought And Reducing Water Loss During System Maintenance And Repair")
Managing Drought And Reducing Water Loss During System Maintenance And RepairDiscover how public water systems can avoid both the cost and the terrible optics associated with repairs during drought conditions by using insertion valves.
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![lucas_county_case_study___wastewater_disinfection-2]( "Wastewater Treatment Plant Realizes The Importance Of Using Genuine Replacement Parts In Its UV Treatment System")
Wastewater Treatment Plant Realizes The Importance Of Using Genuine Replacement Parts In Its UV Treatment SystemThe Lucas County Water Resource Recovery Facility was experiencing treatment inefficiencies and staff couldn’t figure out why. The issues were stemming from the use of non-OEM, non-genuine UV lamps, quartz sleeves, and ballasts.
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![iStock-1218875063.jpg]( "How Small Utilities Can Afford To Reap The Benefits Of Large District Metering Solutions")
How Small Utilities Can Afford To Reap The Benefits Of Large District Metering SolutionsWater scarcity issues and increased production costs are putting more pressure than ever on small water utilities, which tend to rely on relatively few personnel to deliver a quality, affordable product to consumers. The good news is that proper flow metering technology and resulting data can help ensure that water quality and service in smaller communities remain on par with larger systems.
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What's A Luminometer? And Why Should You Care?
If you’re in the business of managing a water system — whether drinking water, wastewater or water used for industrial purposes — a luminometer can make your job easier.
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A Double Bonus: Containing Aggressive Fluids, With Easy Buildout
When dealing with hazardous liquids where a single leak could trigger a dangerous situation, double containment piping solutions are not the sole option for protection, but they do offer significant advantages over alternatives.
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![Kasco-CertiSafe_-WhitePaper-How-Active-Mixing-Prevents-Ice-Damage-1]( "Winter Is Coming. Are Your Water Tanks Ready?")
Winter Is Coming. Are Your Water Tanks Ready?When winter is coming, water utilities gear up to battle the cold and its impact on their distribution systems. What happens to water tanks during the winter and how can you protect your tanks?
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How Calibration Impacts Flow Meter Performance
Utility managers and operators rely on flow meters to provide critical information for process monitoring and control. They require and fully expect the flow data to be accurate and reproducible.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Real-Time Conductivity Monitoring Estimates Chloride Levels In Minnesota Watershed By Using The Aqua TROLL 20011/18/2011Monitoring deicing chemical levels can help researchers, city governments, and regulatory agencies understand runoff impacts on surface water, groundwater, and surrounding environments.
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Activated Carbon And Adsorption Of Trichloroethylene (TCE) And Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)12/30/2013
Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are two of the most common solvents that contaminate groundwater supplies in the United States. Both solvents see frequent use in the extraction of fat, in the textile industry, in the production of various pharmaceutical and chemical products. TCE is also used as a degreaser from fabricated metal parts, and PCE serves as a component of aerosol dry-cleaning solvents.
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Waterworks Joints 10110/30/2025
There are many different joints that can be found on waterworks pipeline components. This paper focuses on the three most common joints.
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Flow Monitoring At Sea Water Reverse Osmosis Plant Improves Water Distribution1/6/2025
Read about a desalination plant that was in need of a practical verification methodology for permanent and/or temporary (portable) solutions on large pipes.
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Optimization Of Water Treatment Using Zeta Potential5/27/2020
Drinking water in the US and developed nations of the world is treated to remove contamination of foreign materials, both mineral and organic.
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Hemodialysis Patient Health10/29/2021
Controlling dialysate quality is critically important to hemodialysis patient health. Complications as minor as nausea and fatigue or as severe as metabolic acidosis and sepsis can result if dialysate composition is incorrect. All the factors that ultimately affect dialysate composition must therefore be carefully monitored and controlled: proper proportioning and mixing of concentrates with water; the quality of water mixed with concentrates to form dialysate; and the quality of water used in the reprocessing of hemodialyzers, system maintenance and disinfection.
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The Importance Of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) In The Water Analysis Sector3/6/2026
A high standard of living involves a high demand for water and, at the same time, causes much greater pollution of this essential element for life. The resultant interference in the natural cycle can often overwhelm natural processes of recovery, so that there is a build-up of anthropogenous additives such as pesticides, effluents and garbage, which contaminate drinking water supplies.
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Solution For Algae Blooms12/17/2015
Harmsco® Filtration Products is pleased to offer a solution to the ever increasing blue-algae blooms in water sources. A multi-barrier approach is necessary to physically remove intact (algae and cyanobacteria) before they rupture in the treatment process and then remove extracellular cyanobacteria through adsorption.
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Circuit Board Cleanliness Testing10/29/2021
Contamination of circuit boards can bring about severe degradation of insulation resistance and dielectric strength. Cleanliness of completed circuit boards is, therefore, of vital interest. For those companies who have established circuit board cleaning procedures, the MIL Spec P-28809 has been used as a guideline for control. Now a simple "on line" test for the relative measurement of ionic contamination has been developed.
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How To Read An Encoder9/13/2013
The HR-E LCD encoder has a 9-digit Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) to show consumption, flow and alarm information. The display automatically toggles between 9-digit and 6-digit consumption, rate of flow and meter model.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
This filter is designed to provide economical treatment of smaller flows with the added advantage of retrofitting existing traveling bridge sand filters.
AqueoUS Vets is a multidisciplinary firm that focuses on standard and customized water treatment systems. We offer a superior line of products for pumping, conveyance, filtration, and storage for dewatering projects.
The flowI® 2100 & 3101 series Encoded Meter is a smart water meter based on the latest ultrasonic technology. The meter has no moving parts and maintains its accuracy throughout its entire lifetime of 20 years.
Recover is a patented, satellite-based leak detection solution that uses L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to identify potable water leaks across entire water systems.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Water droplets, PFAS, Forever chemical water contamination-GettyImages-2173433890]( "Designing Resilient PFAS Treatment Strategies For Water Agencies")
Water agencies across the U.S. are facing a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that poses a conundrum: Should they take a cautious or aggressive approach to treating PFAS contamination in their water system?
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![Oil spill clean up-GettyImages-1369921282]( "The Future Of In Situ Chemical Oxidation For Targeted Solvent Destruction")
The U.S. EPA’s 2026 trichloroethylene (TCE) compliance deadlines are now forcing a concrete shift toward source-zone destruction. In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), sequenced with enhanced bioremediation, is proving to be the most credible path to groundwater contaminant rebound mitigation.
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![GettyImages-1365695094 water in hands]( "How Generative Design Can Help UK Utilities Justify PR29 Investment Cases")
Generative design strengthens PR29 investment cases by enabling rigorous optioneering, accurate cost estimates, and clear outcome alignment, helping water companies meet rising regulatory expectations.
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![money, dollars down the drain-GettyImages-157193934]( "Critical Infrastructure Fails The Way It's Funded")
Our infrastructure systems have operated in managed deterioration for decades. And not surprisingly, once they deteriorate badly enough and cross over into active failure, all cost discipline disappears. -
![Smart industry, worker safety technology-GettyImages-2218674119]( "Geotechnical IoT Shifts Water Infrastructure From Reactive To Predictive")
Currently, water infrastructure is outdated and fragile, prone to breakages and leaks. Reactive approaches to water infrastructure are only implemented after an incident and are more expensive than simple maintenance fixes. Geotechnical Internet of Things (IoT) devices enable water and wastewater industry professionals to identify and address issues before they escalate into catastrophic events. -
![Water Drop with brain-GettyImages-481129858]( "When Drinking Water Raises Bigger Questions About Brain Health And Environmental Risk")
A new study linking certain groundwater sources to higher Parkinson’s risk underscores a broader question for the water sector: how environmental exposures in drinking water may influence long-term health.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
Water infrastructure projects often face extreme installation conditions, from deep-trench burials to exposed bridge crossings. Ensuring long-term reliability requires a material capable of withstanding environmental stressors that can compromise other piping options. Ductile iron pipe offers superior durability, maintaining its structural integrity regardless of temperature fluctuations or UV exposure. Watch the full video to explore these benefits in action.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.